Textiles in History and Archaeology: Technology, Dyes and Conservation

Dear Colleagues,

Archaeological and historic textiles are of significant importance due to their ability to provide unique insights into technology, economy, trade, and cultural practices across time and space. Their study requires an inherently interdisciplinary approach, combining methods from archaeology, history, conservation science, chemistry (analytical chemistry) and materials science.

This Special Issue, titled “Textiles in History and Archaeology: Technology, Dyes and Conservation”, aims to highlight recent advances in the following areas:

• The study of textiles from antiquity encompasses the analysis of fibre production and weaving technologies, as well as dyeing methods and the identification of dyestuff;
• The preservation methods that have been developed to safeguard these delicate items.

We are particularly interested in contributions of innovative analytical methods, including the use of analytical techniques such as HPLC, LC-MS, or FORS for the identification and characterisation of dyes. Case studies focusing on individual textiles or large collections are encouraged, offering insights into their historical, cultural, and technological contexts. Investigations into textile production and weaving technologies developed in the past are also invited, including research on raw material procurement, fibre processing, loom construction, and weaving structures. Finally, we encourage studies that introduce or evaluate new conservation strategies, as well as case-based applications aimed at ensuring the effective and long-term preservation of these fragile organic materials.

Prof. Dr. Ioannis Karapanagiotis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Textiles is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• textiles
• archaeology
• history
• cultural heritage
• dyes
• conservation
• HPLC
• FORS